H49020_Help Desk Manual April 2013

H49020

Help Desk ManualOverview & Processes

Rev A. 04/12

Hughes Network SystemsKnowledge Base Team11717 Exploration LaneGermantown, MD 20876

301-428-5500

Page 1

Help Desk ManualH49020 (10/12)

Table of ContentsTable of Contents.................................................................................................................................2

Reference............................................................................................................................................3

Hughes Prioprietary Notice..................................................................................................................4

I. General Information.....................................................................................................................6

Scope and Purpose..................................................................................................................................6Hughes Operations Organization.............................................................................................................6

II. Customer Support........................................................................................................................8

Hughes Customer Service Help Desk.......................................................................................................8Reporting Problems to the Hughes Customer Service Help Desk via the Internet...................................8Escalating Customer Support Issues........................................................................................................9

Contacting the Help Desk by Phone..................................................................................................10III. National NOC Operations............................................................................................................12

Monthly Maintenance Windows, Emergency, and Miniwindow Maintenance Notifications On Hughes-Maintained NOC....................................................................................................................................12MaintenanceWindow Notification........................................................................................................13Change Type Definitions........................................................................................................................13Emergency and Non-Emergency Change Requests...............................................................................13

IV. Change Policy.............................................................................................................................16

7-Day window REQUEST Requirement..............................................................................................1610-Day Maintenance windows REQUEST..........................................................................................16

National NOC escalation policies...........................................................................................................17V. Installation Support and Escalation Procedures..........................................................................19

Escalation Contacts – Normal Hughes Office Hours (m-f, 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, EST).............................19Escalations During Off Hours.................................................................................................................20

Escalation Contacts – OFF Hours (m-f, 5:00 pm to 8:00 am, EST and weekends)..............................20Installation Escalation Description.........................................................................................................21

Moves, Adds, Changes (MAC) and Rollout Escalations......................................................................21Field Service Handoff to Install..............................................................................................................22

Field Service Escalation Procedure....................................................................................................23VI. Reporting...................................................................................................................................29

Monthly Reports to the Customer (For Enterprise Customers Only).....................................................29Monthly Availability Analysis % in Bar Chart Format.........................................................................29Outage Analysis Detail Report...........................................................................................................29Remote Outage Analysis....................................................................................................................30Trouble Tickets..................................................................................................................................30Master Site List Summary..................................................................................................................30Master Site List..................................................................................................................................30Newly Commissioned Sites List.........................................................................................................30Customer Remote Service Performance Summary............................................................................30


Remote Maintenance Field Service Metrics......................................................................................31


Reference

Tables

Table 1 - Hughes Managed Operations Help Desk Contacts........................................................................9Table 2 - Escalation Contacts.....................................................................................................................16Table 3 - Escalation Contacts - Normal Hughes Office Hours....................................................................18Table 4 - Regional Installation Managers..................................................................................................23Table 5 - Installation Management Contact Numbers...............................................................................23

Figures

Figure 2 - Field Engineer Support..............................................................................................................14Figure 3 - Remote Escalation Flowchart....................................................................................................15Figure 4- Repair Time Flowchart................................................................................................................16Figure 5 - Chronic Site Flowchart...............................................................................................................17Figure 6 - Regional Map.............................................................................................................................19Figure 1 - Hot Hand-Off Process Change Policy for Hughes Maintenance NOC........................................21


Hughes Prioprietary Notice

PROPRIETARY NOTICE

All rights reserved. This publication and its contents are proprietary to Hughes Network Systems, LLC. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the written permission of Hughes Network Systems, LLC, 11717 Exploration Lane, Germantown, Maryland 20876.

HUGHES, HughesNet, IPoS, SPACEWAY, AIReach, Broadband Unbound, and Connect to the future are trademarks of Hughes Network Systems, LLC. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Copyright © 2008, 2011 Hughes Network Systems, LLC

General Information

Page 6

I. General Information

Scope and PurposeHughes Network Systems, LLC (Hughes) Customer Service provides their customers with the Customer Help Desk Manual, which describes the service and support structure available through Hughes. The Customer Help Desk Manual provides your help desk with a quick reference tool that allows your help desk to respond quickly to requests from your end users.

Hughes Operations OrganizationHughes’ Operations Organization continues to improve consistently every year, especially with its operations and notification procedures. The Operations organization was created by Hughes to provide a centralized organization available during normal business and off-hours. The Operations group improves the Hughes response and eliminates any unnecessary phone calls. In an effort to provide more effective service, the Hughes Operations group is available during off-hours including weekday nights and weekends.

The Enterprise Support Center (ESC) at 800-788-6000 is the first point of contact in the case of a remote reset, network outage, or any activity necessary for escalations. ESC verifies Tier 1 troubleshooting that has been completed, and then depending on transport, ESC attempt a resolution. For terrestrial support, ESC will reach out to the NAP. ESC will then update the ticket accordingly. Suspected network outages can be reported to the ESC. Upon confirmation of a network issue the call is warm-transferred to the National NOC. The National NOC evaluates the reported outage and performs initial problem investigation and repairs as appropriate. If required, the National NOC escalates issues in accordance with the procedures contained in Section 5. The notification procedure remains the same during off-hours. Updates are passed along to the affected customer and the Program Manager as available.

The Operations Duty Manager is the first escalation point of contact. If the Duty Manager is not available, the NNOC supervisor or AVP of Network Operations is advised of the situation. In all cases, it is the policy of the Hughes Operations group that all events that affect normal operations are reported and monitored throughout the Operations Management group until resolved. Escalations for critical and noncritical problems are reported in accordance with the procedures contained in Section 2.0.

Page 7

Customer Support

Customer Support Page 8


II. Customer Support

Hughes Customer Service Help DeskThe Enterprise Support Center (ESC) is the centralized technical help desk operation for Hughes Technical Support. Technical assistance is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. We recommend that remote problems/status updates be reported/viewed via a Web access page, the Customer Gateway at customergateway.hns.com (see Section 1.3).

The Hughes Customer Service Help Desk handles reports of all remote site problems; trouble tickets, field service dispatches, Web page issues, and network issues. If the situation warrants, the Hughes Customer Service Help Desk will escalate a problem to the next technical level for resolution.

The Hughes Customer Service Help Desk’s efforts are concentrated on diagnosing and resolving remote problems. Reports of network issues are evaluated and escalated to the National Network Operations Center (NOC) for problem isolation and resolution. The National NOC is responsible for network troubleshooting, database changes, and providing remote installation support, as required.

Reporting Problems to the Hughes Customer Service Help Desk via the InternetThe Hughes Customer Service Help Desk supports a Web-based support application that allows the user to report and track a remote issue or remote failure from initial report through final resolution. Questions regarding the operation of the Web support page or requests for access to the web-based support application are obtained by contacting the Program Manager with the name, title, e-mail address, and telephone number of each individual user. Once the logins have been created, any additional login requests can be submitted by the customer from the login screen on the Customer Gateway.

Note: Remote trouble reports received via the Customer Gateway are processed in exactly the same manner as phone calls.

When reporting a problem for a remote site via the Customer Gateway, note that fields in red are mandatory fields that require data entry.

The Web page is used to confirm site addresses and site contact information. The site address and site contact information can be updated via the Customer Gateway. Maintaining up-to-date site information ensures that prompt service is provided. Hughes ticket numbers are automatically displayed on the Customer Gateway following the processing of the ticket by the ESC technician. Online documentation on the use and features of the Customer Gateway are accessed by selecting Documents and Technical Info from the main menu option, then select Reports by Category and then select Customer Gateway training.



Escalating Customer Support IssuesIf you are escalating an issue regarding a single ticket, use the following procedure

Log into the Customer Gateway Open up the ticket that you have an issue with Navigate to the Notes section. Add a note with Note type Customer Escalation.

This will create an escalation to the Call center management team and supervisor and the issue will be responded to within 30 minutes.

If you are escalating an issue regarding an interaction with an agent, use the following procedureLog into the Customer GatewayClick on the menu option Customer Gateway FeedbackAdd a feedback of type “ESC Feedback”

This will create an escalation to the Call center management team and supervisor and the issue will be responded to within 30 minutes.


Contacting the Help Desk by Phone

Hughes Managed Operations

Title Contact Name Telephone

Enterprise Customers 1800-788-6000

VAR Customers 1-866-889-3234

Customer Specific Use customer specific Help Desk number

Sr Director, Enterprise Support Services Sindhu Rajan 301-428-5912

Assistant Vice President, Customer Service Demetric Anamateros 301-428-5695

Vice President, Program Managers Dilbag Johal Contact Hughes Customer Service Help Desk

Senior Vice President, Hughes Network Services Dave Zatloukal Contact Hughes Customer Service Help Desk

Table 1 - Hughes Managed Operations Help Desk Contacts


National NOC Operations


III. National NOC Operations

Monthly Maintenance Windows, Emergency, and Miniwindow Maintenance Notifications On Hughes-Maintained NOCIn order to sustain the level of service your network requires, Hughes performs prearranged inspections on the National NOC facility earth stations once a month. The monthly inspection is conducted on the second Sunday of the month unless it falls on or is followed by a holiday. During these standard service windows, Hughes performs a variety of tasks ranging from troubleshooting, replacing hardware, or upgrading software. Outages may occur for a few minutes at a time, depending on the task performed. Windows to correct emergency situations are scheduled at any time. The customer is notified in advance when possible.

Note: The Maintenance Inspection Window schedule is posted on the Customer Gateway, customergateway.hns.com. Access to the Customer Gateway is provided by submitting a request to the assigned Program Manager with the following information:

Name Phone number E-mail address Company Position

Emergency maintenance windows are maintenance windows that are not prescheduled. The emergency maintenance windows are conducted to effect repairs. The customer is notified prior to the emergency maintenance window.

Monthly Maintenance Windows are conducted as follows:

The National NOC is provided a maintenance window each month in which to perform system maintenance. These maintenance windows are conducted according to the published schedule, a copy of which is found on the Customer Gateway. In addition, the following rules/standards are followed:

– Thirty to forty-five days prior to any scheduled software upgrade or new release of software, the assigned Network Engineer works with the customer(s) to allow them to test the features of the software upgrade.

– All maintenance to the RFT antennas, power upgrades, or calibration is performed during a maintenance window. If it is not possible to schedule this work during a maintenance window, it is scheduled at a date and time to have minimum impact on the customers belonging to the affected network group. (This is referred to as a miniwindow.)

– Change requests, other than Configuration Change Requests (CCRs) are submitted to the Program Manager via a Change Request form.



– Due to the nature of Configuration Change Requests, they are typically not subject to maintenance window standards. For more information regarding CCR requests and implementation, refer to Section 4.3.1 of this manual.

– Configuration changes in the National NOC are treated as changes and proceed according to standard maintenance window/change procedures and guidelines.

– Notifications regarding activities taking place during the maintenance window are sent to the e-mail address recorded in the customer’s information file at Hughes. In addition, a ticket is posted on the Customer Gateway when a notification is sent. Amplifying information may be available via the Web site.

– When the maintenance window is completed (closed), a notification is sent and the ticket posted on the Customer Gateway.

MaintenanceWindow NotificationCustomer(s) will be advised of the following:

At least seven days in advance of a maintenance window.

Prior to the start and at the completion of the maintenance window

Seven days in advance of a “mini-release.”

Thirty days in advance of a “general release.”

Hughes will notify customers of a planned interruption in service at least 24 hours prior to the planned outage.

Change Type Definitions

Emergency: Changes to resolve an event that has caused or could cause interruptions of service is implemented as soon as possible.

Non-Emergency: Changes required to improve performance or correct minor issues are implemented in the next regularly-scheduled maintenance window. This includes scheduled upgrades.

Emergency and Non-Emergency Change Requests

Emergency change requests are submitted when it is determined that an event has or could possibly cause an interruption of service. These change requests are subject to the standard change control process as implemented for an emergency situation. This means that the duration of the review and approval process (but not the process itself) is abbreviated to meet the needs of the situation.



Non-emergency change requests are received during the normal monthly cycle for maintenance window activities. Some changes may require up to five months of advance planning. The Program Manager and Network Engineer will lead these planning and testing activities.


Change Policy


IV. Change PolicyConfiguration changes allow customers to meet their needs as their network continues to grow. Customer’s individual remote and remote port configurations are stored in the Hughes databases.

Some changes, such as adding a new remote, are totally transparent to users and can be made at any time by the operators. Other changes, such as changing the protocol supported on a gateway can interrupt the traffic of all users on the gateway. These changes are normally made during a miniwindow or Maintenance Window after scheduling the event with the affected customer(s).

There are changes, such as adding new inroutes to a network, that can cause all remotes to reset and download new code. These changes are scheduled with the customer(s) well in advance and are implemented during the monthly Maintenance Window.

All changes require Change Control Board review and approval.

7-Day window REQUEST RequirementChanges that affect traffic require approval from Hughes Operations management and appropriate Hughes engineering representatives (inroute usage, IP Gateway resets, sizing changes, etc.). These are scheduled after receipt of the request, if and only if the changes will not impact other National NOC operational traffic, i.e., the requested changes only impact the requester’s network.

10-Day Maintenance windows REQUESTChanges that affect more than 5% of a customer’s remote sites or more than one customer have at least 10 days notice prior to the Maintenance Window. This includes, but is not limited to IPGW resets, software changes, new releases, etc.

Configuration Change Requests (CCR)Configuration changes are requested through the Customer Gateway. The user can select the Configuration Change option under the Remote Case Management option, identify the site the change is to be performed on, and then describe the requested change.

Note: All configuration changes should be submitted at least 24 hours prior to the requested time and date of the change. The National NOC Manager schedules all changes.

Change Request FeeOnce a site is operational on the National NOC and a change is requested and implemented, a site fee is levied by the Program Manager, in accordance with contract provisions and is billed with the National NOC services invoice.



National NOC escalation policiesThe National NOC escalation policies provide a communication path for Hughes Customer Service and Operations to solve network problems. In the event that traffic is not interrupted and the customer agrees on the status, a National NOC noncritical problem notification procedure is followed. However, if traffic is interrupted and/or there is a disagreement on the status, the National NOC critical problem notification procedure is followed. Please remember the following steps:

In the event of a problem, affected customers are notified immediately. When a problem is observed or reported, a Network Management ticket is opened and subsequent status entries displayed on the Customer Gateway under the Network Management menu option when available.

Hughes provides customers with status reports. Verbal updates are provided for critical outages and through the Program Manager when multiple customers are involved. Status entries are also displayed on the Customer Gateway under the Network Management menu option. The ticket through the Customer gateway is updated later and made visible when approved.

On the next business day, the details of an outage are investigated and a post mortem (for network outages only) prepared. This post mortem is submitted to the Program Manager for review and approval. Once the Program Manager releases the post mortem, it is provided to the customer and posted to the outage ticket in a form viewable by the customer on the Customer Gateway.

Critical problems that cannot be resolved within 15 minutes are escalated.

Escalation policies can be used for network or remote service problems the customer is experiencing. All requests for escalations related to network or remote issues are submitted to the Hughes Customer Service Help Desk. The Hughes Customer Service Help Desk escalates the request through all appropriate channels.

Table 2 - Escalation Contacts

ESCALATION CONTACTS

Hughes Managed OPERATIONS

Title Contact Name Telephone

Sr. Director, National NOC Operations

Theresa Ganal Contact Hughes Customer Service Help Desk

Senior Vice President Bob Buschman Contact Hughes Customer Service Help Desk


Installation Support , Field Support and Escalation Procedures


V. Installation Support and Escalation ProceduresIf installation information is required or an issue requires escalation during Hughes office hours (Monday through Friday, 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, EST) please follow the contact chain noted below:

1. For initial rollout or noncritical post rollout (MAC) installation activity information, first check the Customer Gateway for the required information.

2. For information needed on a specific site that is time critical, contact the Hughes Order Administrator assigned to your account. This person acts as a central point of contact for installation issues.

3. If the Hughes Order Administrator is unavailable, escalate to the OAD, Hughes Order Administrator Director. The contact numbers are listed below.

4. If the OAD is unavailable, please contact the EID, Enterprise Installation Director. The contact information is provided below.

5. If unable to resolve the issue by following steps 1 through 4, please contact the Senior Director of Implementation Services. The contact numbers are provided below.

Escalation Contacts – Normal Hughes Office Hours (m-f, 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, EST)The name and contact number of your assigned OA is provided by your Hughes Program Manager. You may also contact the OAD at anytime.

Table 3 - Escalation Contacts - Normal Hughes Office Hours

Title Name Office CellOrder Administration Director, OAD Greg Fronda 301-601-2660 301-536-1336

Enterprise Installation Director, EID Ray Van Meter 858-452-4749 858-663-8426

Senior Director, Implementation Services Andrea Dudrow 301-428-5779 301-674-0361



Escalations During Off HoursIf critical installation information is required or an issue requires escalation when Hughes’ offices are closed (5:00 pm to 8:00 am, EST and weekends), please follow the contact chain noted below:

1. For initial rollout or noncritical post rollout (MAC) installation activity information, first check the Customer Gateway for the required information.

2. Contact the regional IM, Hughes Installation Manager, for the region where the site is located. The regional map and contact numbers are provided below.

3. If you are unable to contact the Regional IM, try contacting any of the other IMs or contact the Enterprise Installation Director (EID). Contact information is provided below.

4. If you are unable to contact the EID, please escalate to the OAD, Hughes Order Administrator Director. The contact numbers are listed below.

5. If you are unable to resolve your issue by following steps 1 through 4 above, please contact the Senior Director of Implementation Services. The contact number is provided below.

Escalation Contacts – OFF Hours (m-f, 5:00 pm to 8:00 am, EST and weekends)1. The Regional Installation Manager for the region in which the site is located (see following map

and contact numbers).

Table 4 - Regional Installation Managers

Regional Manager Last First Office # Cell #

W01 Maybaum Scott 858-452-4623 760-250-1442

E01 Cronk Bob 301-601-2675 301-252-2384

C01 Griffee Meghan 301-428-5957 813-389-1379

2. Installation Management Contact Numbers:

Table 5 - Installation Management Contact Numbers

Installation Management Last First Office # Cell #

Enterprise Installation Director Van Meter Ray 858-452-4749 858-663-8426

Order Administration Director Fronda Greg 301-601-2660 301-536-1336

Senior Installation Director Dudrow Andrea 301-428-5779 301-674-0361



Figure 1 - Regional Map

Installation Escalation Description

Moves, Adds, Changes (MAC) and Rollout EscalationsCustomer has a nontechnical issue, relating to the installation or the installation process.

The problem is NOT technical in nature, involves NO technical troubleshooting to identify and resolve equipment failures, system performance, or network problems.

Call relates to:

The site’s installation schedule. Installer performance, behavior, or appearance. The quality and or aesthetics of the install. Damage, the caller believes, was caused by the installer.

Customer shall utilize their assigned Order Administrator or the escalation paths in Installation and Escalation Procedure section.



Field Service Handoff to InstallIn some cases, a Hughes Field Service Technician (World Wide Technical Services) cannot perform the required repairs and asks that a Hughes installer assist or perform the required repairs. Examples are reinstallation, dish moves, dish upgrades, and complex cable runs.

The on-site Field Service Technician determines that the repair requires tools or equipment not normally carried by the repair technician, or the scope of the repair is beyond that normally performed by a repair technician (ie. Mac Activity, Re-Install needed due to site work or damage). This situation is usually documented via a Problem Site Report (PSR) with photo’s that are provided to the Hughes Tech Support Engineer who then works with the Installation Services team to provide final resolution.

When received, the Installation Services team issues an order that is visible via the Customer Gateway and schedules appropriate installation resources to effect repairs. Questions related to installation and repair activity in the Customer Gateway can be directed to the assigned order administrator. At the point of confirmed hand-off to the install team, the initial dispatch ticket is closed with an entry under the fix description of the hand-off to install.



Field Service Escalation Procedure

Hughes Internal Escalation

Figure 2 - Field Engineer Support



Figure 3 - Remote Escalation Flowchart



Figure 4- Repair Time Flowchart



Figure 5 - Chronic Site Flowchart



Figure 6 - Hot Hand-Off Process Change Policy for Hughes Maintenance NOC


Reporting


VI. Reporting

Monthly Reports to the Customer (For Enterprise Customers Only)Monthly customer reports provide detailed information and analysis regarding aspects of your VSAT network and its performance. Each month a report package will be posted to the Customer Gateway consisting of:

Report National Network Dedicated Monthly availability analysis % in bar chart format X

Outage analysis detail report X

Remote outage analysis percentage report X

Master site list summary X

Master site list report X

Newly commissioned sites list X

Customer remote service performance summary X X

Remote maintenance field services metrics X X

Customer Installs X X

This report package, which is compiled from Hughes’ in-house database, is posted within the first 10 days of each month . The following paragraphs contain a detailed description of the monthly report components.

Monthly Availability Analysis % in Bar Chart FormatThis report is a bar graph that shows a sliding 12-month breakdown of the hub, remote, and network availability (weighted mean average). A line of data at the bottom of the columns shows the number of active sites recorded in the CRM database.

Note: Count discrepancies should be reported to the assigned Program Manager.

Outage Analysis Detail ReportThis report contains trouble ticket breakdown with Case ID, Site ID, Reported Problem, Resolution Code, Resolution Description, Covered Hours, Elapsed Hours, Outage Time, % of Service Lost, Non Available Hours, Date Resolved and Date Opened. The outage analysis detail and outage analysis percentage report from the Hughes Ticket System database allows you to view the breakdown by problem, date and time the trouble ticket was opened, date and time it was closed, site number, who the problem was



assigned to, and the covered and elapsed hours. Outage analysis by site lists each site that had an outage during the reporting month.



Remote Outage AnalysisThis analysis includes a breakdown of the trouble tickets for the reporting month, by cause, in the form of a color pie chart. In addition to the total number of sites in your network, the MTTR for both clock and actual outage period are provided at the bottom of the page

Trouble TicketsActual trouble tickets from Hughes CRM Ticket System database are available through the Customer Gateway. Tickets can be selected for viewing on the Case Search screen using such selections as date ranges and case status. Categories of tickets can be selected for viewing or printing from the Problem Status screen. The various categories include Open, Hold, Pending, Closed, or (All). Any of the categories can be selected with a specific date range specified. Any ticket that can be viewed can be printed using the Print Frame capability under the File Selection.

Master Site List SummaryThis summary provides a count of the total number of sites broken down by Active Sites, Inactive Sites, Not Yet Commissioned Sites, Decommissioned Sites, Decommissions in Progress, Installations in Progress, and the Total # of Sites. This report is produced at the beginning of the month as well as mid-month to accommodate customer billing cycles.

Master Site ListThis list contains a listing of all customer-commissioned sites to date. This information comes from data gathered by Hughes CRM Ticket System database. This list is sorted by site ID number and includes the following fields: Site ID, Site Status, location name, Site address, City, State, ZIP code, Primary contact name, Primary phone number, Date created, Adapter model, NOC, Commission date, and Decommission date. This report is produced at the beginning of the month as well as mid-month to accommodate customer billing cycles.

Newly Commissioned Sites ListThis list shows all the sites that were commissioned during the reporting month. The information, which is gathered through Hughes’ database, lists the site ID number and includes the following fields: location name, site address, city, state, contact name and phone number, commission date, type of unit installed, and the National NOC facility on which the site is supported.

Customer Remote Service Performance SummaryThis summary lists the total number of commissioned sites to date, total number of decommissioned sites to date, total number of active sites at the end of the reporting month, total available hours (for remote network), total non-available hours (for remote network), Mean-time between maintenance activity (remote network), remote availability without rain fade, percent of tickets requiring remote dispatches, and percent of tickets not requiring dispatch. In addition, the report includes a table that displays a breakdown of the trouble tickets for the reporting month by cause area, total count by cause area, % of cause of breakdown by area, hours of outage by area, and the average outage time by breakdown area.



Remote Maintenance Field Service MetricsThese metrics contain the Number of Sites, Contract Calls, Monthly Contract Call Rate, First Call Fixed, % of First Call Completion, Dispatches Meeting Response Time, Dispatches Meeting Restore Time, Average Response Time (Hrs), % of Response Time Within Target, Average Restoral Time (Hrs), % of Restoral time within Target, Calls Open > 24 hrs, Calls Open > 48 hrs, % of Calls Open > 24 Hrs, and % of Calls Open > 48 Hrs.


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